Cinderella (1914 film)
Encyclopedia
Cinderella is a 1914
1914 in film
The year 1914 in film involved some significant events, including the debut of Cecil B. DeMille as a director.-Events:*The 3,300-seat Mark Strand Theatre opens in New York City....

 silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...

 starring Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...

, directed by James Kirkwood, Sr.
James Kirkwood, Sr.
James Kirkwood, Sr. was an American actor and director....

, produced by Daniel Frohman
Daniel Frohman
Daniel Frohman was a Jewish American theatrical producer and manager, and an early film producer.Frohman was born in Sandusky, Ohio...

, and released by Famous Players Film Company
Famous Players Film Company
The Famous Players Film Company was founded in 1912 by Adolph Zukor in partnership with the Frohman brothers, the powerful New York City theatre impresarios. The company advertised "Famous Players in Famous Plays" and its first release was the French film Les Amours de la reine Élisabeth starring...

, later known as Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...

. The film is based upon the famous fairy tale with the same name
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...

. The film was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

 as a bonus feature from the DVD of Through the Back Door
Through the Back Door
Through the Back Door is a 1921 silent film directed by Alfred E. Green and Jack Pickford, and starring Mary Pickford.-Plot:The movie starts in Belgium in the early 1900s. Jeanne is the 10-year-old daughter of Louise . Troubles start when Louise remarries a selfish but rich man named Elton Reeves...

(1921).

Plot

Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...

 is a young girl who lives with her stepmother and stepsisters. They treat her like garbage and use her as the house maid. Cinderella thinks she's all alone in the world, but doesn't know a fairy godmother
Fairy godmother
In fairy tales, a fairy godmother is a fairy with magical powers who acts as a mentor or parent to someone, in the role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many societies...

 is constantly helping her. One day, she is collecting wood from the forest and meets Prince Charming
Prince Charming
Prince Charming is a stock character who appears in a number of fairy tales. He is the prince who comes to rescue of the damsel in distress, and stereotypically, must engage in a quest to liberate her from an evil spell...

. They immediately fall in love with each other, but lose contact. Soon, a ball is arranged by the prince to look for his future wife. The stepsisters think they make a great chance in being chosen by the prince. Cinderella wants to go as well, but isn't allowed to by her cruel family.

The sisters go to a fortune teller, who announces a member of the family will be chosen by the prince. The sisters are delighted and think it will be one of the two of them. When they leave for the ball, Cinderella is left behind. The fairy godmother appears and asks if she wants to go to the ball as well. When Cinderella responds positively, the fairy godmother orders her to bring her the biggest pumpkin she can find. Cinderella does so and the fairy godmother changes it into a luxurious stage coach. She next asks for the smallest mice she can find. Cinderella brings her some mice from the house and the fairy godmother changes them into horses.

The fairy godmother next orders her to bring her the biggest rats there are. After Cinderella collected them, the fairy godmother changes them into servants. She finally changes Cinderella's poor maiden costume into an expensive dress. She reminds Cinderella she will have to be back at home before the clock strikes midnight. Otherwise, her fine dress will turn into rags and the coach and servants will become what they were before.

As Cinderella arrives at the party, Prince Charming is already busy looking for his future wife. It is soon announced an unknown lady has arrived in a coach. Prince Charming immediately chooses her and they go to a private place where they learn to know each other. As they flirt, Cinderella notices it is almost twelve o'clock and storms out. She loses her glass slipper, before she turns into her old poor self again.

The next day, the royal heralds announce the Prince's wish to marry the woman whose foot fits the lost glass slipper. The sisters go to the palace to try fit their feet into the slippers, while Cinderella is yet again forced to stay home. It becomes clear the royal heralds every woman of the town has tried but failed to wear the slippers, except for Cinderella. Prince Charming immediately goes to visit her and is shocked when he finds out she is a poor maid. He doesn't turn his back against her, though, and he invites her to try on the slipper. When she does, she is announced as the future princess. The royal heralds give her the opportunity to behead her sisters, but she refuses to.

In the final scene, the fairy godmother appears and blesses her. Cinderella and Prince Charming live happily ever after.

Cast

  • Mary Pickford
    Mary Pickford
    Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...

     - Cinderella
    Cinderella
    "Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...

  • Owen Moore
    Owen Moore
    Owen Moore was an Irish-born actor in American films, appearing in more than 279 movies spanning from 1908 to 1937.-Life and career:...

     - Prince Charming
    Prince Charming
    Prince Charming is a stock character who appears in a number of fairy tales. He is the prince who comes to rescue of the damsel in distress, and stereotypically, must engage in a quest to liberate her from an evil spell...

  • Isabel Vernon - Stepmother
  • Georgia Wilson - Stepsister
  • Lucille Carney - Stepsister
  • W.N. Cone - The King
  • Inez Marcel - Fairy godmother
    Fairy godmother
    In fairy tales, a fairy godmother is a fairy with magical powers who acts as a mentor or parent to someone, in the role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many societies...

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